The present invention relates to a device for manufacturing particles through chemical reaction of a plural number of fluids within a channel.
In recent years, reaches or developments are made, extensively, upon a device for mixing the fluids within a channel, which is manufactured by a micro fabrication technology, i.e., so-called a micro-reactor, for applying it into a bio/medical field. As the distinctive features of the micro-reactor, the following can be listed up; (1) enabling to conduct temperature control, accurately and efficiently; (2) enabling to mix the fluids under a laminar flow; and (3) mixture can progress rapidly because of short diffusion length of material, etc. With utilizing those features, in recent years, an action is made actively, in particular, of applying the micro-reactor onto a particle formation process of an order of nanometer with a liquid-state formation method. In case when generating a uniform particle, it is necessary to control the processes of nucleation generating, particle growth, and aggregation. Because the particle diameter is fluctuated if a difference is generated in timing for a nucleation forming or a time for particle growth. With the conventional batch method for mixing the fluids with using a mechanical stirrer, it is difficult to manufacture a certain amount of the particles with stability, being uniform in the particle diameter thereof. Because there is unevenness of density and/or non-uniformity of temperature in the vessel, the synthesis condition of particle is not constant. Then, with applying the micro-reactor therein, since it enables quick and uniform mixture in a stage for generating the core, and since it also brings a time to be constant in a stage for the particle growth, it is possible to generate a mono-disperse particle, being equal in the particle diameter, continuously. However, when particles are generated within a minute channel, then those particles adhere and accumulate within the channel due to precipitation or aggregation, and they clog the channel finally. For that reason, it is difficult to use it for a log time, continuously.
Then, for dissolving such drawback, in the following Patent Document 1 is disclosed the structures, wherein a plural number of fluid-supply channels communicating with one (1) channel are combined in a coaxial multi-lamination structure, so as to use an inactive fluid, not participating directly on the reaction, and thereby the precipitation or the aggregation can hardly adhere and accumulate on a channel wall of a mixing channel portion. Also, in the following Patent Document 2 is disclosed a method of conducting surface coating on an inner wall of a micro-channel, with a functional group, so as to make hydrophobic or hydrophilic. Therefore, the adhesion and accumulation of the particles on the channel wall can suppress effectively. Further, in the following Patent Document 3 is disclosed a method for suppressing the clogging of the channel, by detecting a clog or an indication (or a sign) thereof with using a pressure sensor, so as to atomize a reaction product adhering on the channel wall through irradiation of ultrasonic wave, and thereby exfoliating the reaction product adhering on the channel wall.